Prosecutor Asks Seven Years For Kazakh Protestant Convert

ASTANA -- A prosecutor in Kazakhstan has asked a court to sentence a Kazakh Christian convert charged with inciting religious to seven years in prison.

Yqylas Qabduaqasov, 54, an active member of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, went on trial in Astana on October 9.

Qabduaqasov pleaded not guilty.

His lawyer, Gulnar Shaldyqova, asked the judge to drop the charges against him.

The verdict and sentence are expected to be announced next week.

Several witnesses in the case testified that Qabduaqasov had expressed ideas during Bible study sessions that sounded insulting to Muslims and the Prophet Muhammad.

Qabduaqasov was arrested in mid-August. He could face up to 10 years in jail if convicted.